There are many products sold today that are packaged in small containers. Further, these small containers may be of the plastic variety as well as glass. In packaging such small containers, there is frequently used a carton that can hold multiple ones of the small product containers so that they can be sold in various quantities in one package.
In such cases, the product containers must be securely held within the carton and in many cases a carton sleeve is formed which substantially surrounds the multiple product containers. In such instances, of course, it is quite expensive to extend the paperboard completely around the product containers so as to securely hold them. Thus, the packaging costs are increased with this type of carton.
The present invention relates to a multiple product container carton that has an elongated rectangular base portion with substantially triangular shaped opposing side walls hingedly connected to, integrally formed with and coterminous with the outer edges of the base portion. Multiple slots are formed in that portion of each triangular side wall facing the opposing side wall such that each opposing pair of slots receives a first portion of a product container therein. End flaps are hingedly connected to the rectangular base portion which are so constructed as to engage slots formed in the upper edges of the triangular shaped side walls, thus locking the end flaps in position and locking the containers in the slots within the carton. Utilizing this type of package with shrink wrap film significantly decreases the amount of paperboard that would be required to completely overwrap the multiple product containers in a folding carton sleeve. Thus, significant savings occurs. In addition, perforation lines may extend across the carton perpendicular to the length of the carton and between the slots to enable a product container in the slots to be removed along the perforation lines from the remainder of the carton.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multiple product container carton that has an elongated rectangular base portion with substantially triangular shaped opposing side walls and having an outer edge hingedly connected to, integrally formed with and coterminous with the outer edges of the base portion. Multiple slots are formed in that portion of each triangular side wall facing the opposing side wall such that each opposing pair of slots receives a first portion of a product container therein. An end wall is hingedly attached to each end of the carton with means on the end walls and means on the side walls of the carton for latching the end walls in place when they are pivoted upwardly about the hinge line connecting them to the carton.